747 roads, including three national highways, remain closed across Himachal

At least 747 roads, including three national highways (NHs), remain closed to vehicular movement across Himachal Pradesh due to continuous heavy downpour that has wreaked havoc in the state. According to State Emergency Operation Centre, out of the total 747 roads, 227 roads, including NH-3 and NH-305 in Kullu, are blocked for traffic, which is the highest in the state.

Additionally, 183 roads are blocked in Mandi, 137 in Shimla, 44 in Kangra, 42 in Chamba, 39 in Sirmaur, 25 (including NH-70) in Una, 18 each in Bilaspur and Solan, 9 in Lahaul and Spiti, 4 in Kinnaur, and 3 in Hamirpur district. Furthermore, out of the total 959 distribution transformers, 722 are disrupted in Kullu, 88 in Mandi, 83 in Shimla, 52 in Chamba, 11 in Lahaul and Spiti, and 3 in Solan, leaving many areas without electricity.

Apart from this, 472 water supply schemes, including 176 in Kangra, 123 in Shimla, 63 in Kullu, 57 in Mandi, 30 in Chamba, 12 in Sirmaur, 6 in Solan, 3 in Bilaspur, and 2 in Hamirpur, remain disrupted after being damaged by heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall continued to occur in many parts of the state during the last 24 hours. Mandi received 41 mm of rain, the highest in the state, followed by Nahan in Sirmaur district, which received 35 mm of rain.

Similarly, Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district received 30.8 mm of rain, Narkanda 24.5 mm, Sarahan in Shimla district 20.5 mm, Dhaulakuan 16.5 mm, Manali 12 mm, Sundernagar 8.5 mm, Keylong 3 mm, and Shimla 1.6 mm of rain. According to the state’s meteorological department, light to moderate rainfall is expected to continue in isolated places of the state on September 14. During this period, maximum temperatures are likely to rise by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius across the state, while minimum temperatures will remain normal.